Discover and Experience the New Internet at NAB 2023

Nolan Apostle
Contributing Editor
EC Premier Magazine
Felix Solomon
Writer – Reporter

The future of the internet is here, and it’s taking over the media and entertainment industry in ways we’ve never seen before. The 2023 NAB Show, taking place April 15-19 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, is your ticket to a collaborative, immersive, and interactive exploration of the transformative impact of Web3 and other emerging technologies on the content lifecycle.

With educational programming, hands-on demonstrations, special events, networking sessions, and dozens of exhibitors on the show floor, the NAB Show promises to take you on a journey through the next generation of the internet and its potential to unlock new opportunities for content creators.

According to Chris Brown, NAB executive vice president and managing director of Global Connections and Events, “Web3 and other emerging technologies like generative AI and the metaverse are opening an entirely new chapter for content creators. The 2023 NAB Show is the ideal platform to dive into these new tools and ideas by meeting face-to-face with the experts, innovators, and companies that are unleashing the possibilities pushing the limits of our imagination.”

At the NAB Show, attendees can look forward to educational sessions covering key trends surrounding the next era of internet technology, with topics spanning Web3, data and analytics, generative AI, metaverse, and blockchain and NFTs. These sessions will offer attendees an opportunity to engage in interactive conversations and learning experiences surrounding new frontiers of innovation, while also engaging with like-minded content professionals in discussions about future collaborative opportunities.

But that’s not all. The NAB Show will also feature the Intelligent Content Experiential Zone in the West Hall, which serves as home base for those interested in these exciting new technologies. Visitors to the zone can take part in collaborative workshops and presentations showcasing products and solutions from leading companies such as Interra Systems, Shotshack, Veritone, and Wiland. The Zone is organized around themes of implementation, inspiration, and innovation and features roundtables, theaters, the AWS Partner Village, the Innovation Village, and NABiQ, which facilitates a series of competition-style sessions encouraging collaborators to devise solutions to common challenges facing media broadcasting.

And if that’s not enough, NAB Show, in collaboration with StoryTech, will offer attendees a guided, curated tour of the show floor around two themes related to intelligent content: managing data and innovation in virtual production. Each tour will facilitate communication between storytellers and technology companies, provide briefings, and feature exhibitors and products that are driving conversations around the latest content business models.

The NAB Show is also an opportunity to check out leading brands, emerging companies, and startups exhibiting new Web3 and other next-generation internet technologies and solutions. Exhibitors will be showcasing products in categories such as AI and machine learning, data analytics, content discovery, search, metadata software and applications, personalization, voice AI and recognition, internet of things, and edge networking. Key exhibiting companies include Amagi, AWS, Digital Nirvana, Microsoft, Oracle, SDVI, SSimWave, TSV Analytics, Veritone, and Vistex.

But it’s not all about business at the NAB Show. Attendees are also invited to take part in the AWS Free Kick Challenge, located in the West Hall Lobby. Participants can kick a sensor-filled soccer ball into a real-world goal, with connected ball technology supported by machine learning providing insight into real-time ball movement. A leaderboard will be on display throughout NAB Show letting attendees compare and track their effort against their peers.

The NAB Show is the ultimate marketplace for next-generation technology inspiring superior audio and video experiences. From creation to consumption, across multiple platforms, NAB Show is where global visionaries convene to bring content to life in new and exciting ways. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to explore the latest advancements in broadcasting, digital media, film, streaming, and more at the NAB Show.

The NAB Show is an annual trade show and conference hosted by the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), held in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event showcases the latest trends, technologies, and innovations in the media and entertainment industry. Attendees can explore a diverse range of exhibits, attend educational sessions and networking events, and hear from industry experts on a variety of topics.

The NAB Show attracts a wide range of professionals from various fields, including broadcasters, content creators, production companies, filmmakers, advertisers, and technology providers. The event offers a unique opportunity to connect with peers, discover new products and services, and stay up-to-date with the latest industry developments.

If you are interested in the media and entertainment industry, the NAB Show is a must-attend event. With its comprehensive programming, cutting-edge technology demonstrations, and unparalleled networking opportunities, it offers a truly immersive experience for professionals looking to take their careers to the next level.

KOBE BRYANT, FATHER, FRIEND, HUSBAND AND LEGEND a Personal Heartwarming and Inspirational Message

By Nolan Apostle
Contributing Editor
Event City Premier Magazine

“Heroes come and go, but legends are forever”

This is dedicated to the family and close friends of Kobe Bryant, as well as his daughter Gianna “Gigi”, the 7 others on the helicopter, and to the man who I call a legend, KOBE BRYANT. I’m sad and unfortunately like most of you, heartbroken when the helicopter crashed in Southern California yesterday morning. I know it doesn’t help to think of anything you read right now as a dedication, or a memorial, or anything else, it is simply a sad tragic circumstance. One might say this is a dedication to Basketball, as well as Kobe’s personal dedication to the sport and life itself. As much as Kobe loved basketball, he loved life just as much.

After all, Kobe played the game fiercely, like no other, and that was part of who Kobe Bryant was to his fans, his team and even his nemesis. This is not any kind of an interview or excerpts from interviews, it’s not a personal story of the time I met Kobe for a heartbeat, or anything like that. It’s all about a serious man, as serious a basketball player you can find anywhere, and also a very serious warm and gentle soul. Serious about his love for people and helping them grow. Kobe was all of that and so much more. It’s about his Short Film, “Dear Basketball”, an animation created from a poem he wrote. That’s the Kobe I want to share with you as well.

My story and basketball is really quite simple. I never really liked basketball. What seems like forever, I tried and tried and tried to play the game, and just could not even come close to being even just ok. It just wasn’t my game. 7th and 8th grade, my good friend, Clyde Amaral was a genius when it came to the game. Serious about basketball, nothing else, but he sure was about basketball, and boy was he good. He always volunteered me to scrimmage with him, one and one’s, all that stuff. I couldn’t make a shot for the life of me, lots of airballs, I’d be lucky to get one out of ten, and if I got a swish, I was ready to celebrate, like I mean let’s throw a party for everyone on the court! By the way, my friend Clyde, he was a couple inches shorter than my 5’6″ frame, go figure! As much as I may not have been a fan of the game, something changed my life forever when it came to basketball, my Mother.

My Mom was born and raised in Nicaragua, Central America, in Nicaragua basketball was the game and she absolutely loved it! I’ll never forget the time we walked to the park near our home in Daly City and she played basketball with me. I wanted to be so good at the game, but it just wasn’t going to happen. But she did influence me to keep trying and to never give up. To this day, I never turn down a game of hoops. My Mom had this stubbornness about her to keep on going. In her own way she influenced me in that same way, and I didn’t even know it until years later.

The philosophy of sports celebrities, their drive, their influence and their will to keep going and to “win” was something I took from my Mother, and my Father (who was a boxer and loved basketball too), as well as many sports figures I’ve admired over the years – Rocky Marciano, Jerry Rice, Tiger Woods, Mohammed Ali, Joe Montana, Chi Chi Rodriguez, Freddie Apostoli, Shaquille O’Neal, Willie Mays, Arnold Palmer, Bart Starr, Nolan Ryan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Jake LaMotta, and of course, Kobe Bryant. Kobe was not one to just talk the talk, let’s write a book and move on, but he lived and practiced everything he preached. When he left the NBA he was already working on becoming an investor. He wasn’t just talking about plans, he had them all worked out. He founded a Venture Capital firm, invested in many different areas, a popular Beverage company, BodyArmor, the online legal company LegalZoom, several technology based investments including Epic Games, the maker of the smash hit “Fortnite” and much more. As a business and a family man, I was always intrigued and inspired by Kobe’s activities and his ability to balance life and all that it offered to him. He always seemed to be such a friendly, approachable, warm and sensitive human spirit with an endless ear to ear smile! I am told that no matter what he was doing or working on at any given time he always thought of ways to inspire and to influence, always seeking to be positive. 

Kobe founded Kobe Studios in early 2013 to expand into the world of Hollywood and his creative film efforts. Later he renamed the business Granity Studios, as a Costa Mesa-based multimedia production company. Granity has pursued online media, book, podcast, television and film projects having a special place in his heart for stories that, as it says on his website pair education and inspiration.

“I love, love, love storytelling,” Kobe said in the latter part 2015. “I love framing stories that inspire. I love educating in a very creative way. I love putting pieces of the puzzle together.”

Granity’s most recent film project and certainly its most well-known effort was a 5 1/2-minute animated short that Kobe wrote and produced called “Dear Basketball.” It was based on a poem with the same name that Kobe wrote to announce his retirement. Dear Basketball is this writers influence to dedicate this article to Kobe and his family. Who he was, who he became and will forever be in our hearts. Dear Basketball was scored by five-time Oscar-winning composer John Williams, and won the Academy Award for best animated short in 2018. It is an exemplary film that is as inspirational as any film I’ve ever seen. It touches the heart but now, with true heartbreak, and at times massages your soul knowing that Kobe may be gone but his influence, kindness and love will live in us forever.

“As basketball players, we’re really supposed to shut up and dribble,” Kobe said in his acceptance speech, “But I’m glad we’re doing more than that.”

Dear Basketball Trailer from Dear Basketball on Vimeo.

 

There are two versions of Dear Basketball. Both are beautifully done but with very different styles. The version appearing above is the main film trailer that has Kobe narrating the Animatic. The original link was removed due to an overwhelming amount of visits. The other one (the link below) is the version created for the Oscars Award Presentation. These films are as captivating as one might imagine. Produced with stunning expectations of the current reality, a sadness echoing from the words delivered by Kobe himself in the above animatic version. It’s short and must be watched in a quiet environment for the full 4 minutes with a full box of tissue. I’ve watched both films several times, here’s the OSCAR version, it’s hard to not tear up with either one. 

What are my final thoughts about this tragedy and Kobe. I choose to not have any final thoughts. I hope to continue to learn about who he was and his greatness, and drive and ability to meet challenges and continue in his life. Most importantly, I see Kobe as a leader of men, of his peers, and to continue leading them, all of his friends in basketball, football and all professional sports. In the world of business and finance. If anything positive might come from Kobe leaving us so prematurely, it is for all of them, all of us, to follow his lead, to plan ahead, to know once you leave the game, or make those life changes, know your next steps and have your direction in place to start all over again.

5, 4, 3, 2, 1…  Rest In Peace MAMBA

MAKER FAIRE 2014 –YEAR OF THE MAKER

By Nolan Apostle
Producer, Contributing Editor and Photographer
Event City Premier Magazine

  

What is the Maker Faire?  At the Event City Creative several of us have been big Maker fans over the years and this reporter has attended almost every year since its inception in 2006. Although I’ve missed a couple of years due to personal reasons, my conviction and dedication to the Maker Faire – DIY (Do It Yourself) genre, and the immense amount of creative talent, positive attitudes and eclectic inventive ideas on display at this event – well simply put, as the Rolling Stones would say, “Wild horses couldn’t drag me away”. I would have to be laid out on a gurney to miss another Faire again.

To give you a fair definition of this eclectic festival of talent is a most difficult task, but one that we sure had fun defining. After talking with hundreds of Makers and attendees over the years we have come up with what we believe defines the Bay Area Maker Faire:

“A Creative’s Disneyland rolled into a

Futuristic Music Festival of the Arts & Sciences.”

Well that’s one definition of Maker Faire. The festival itself defines it as “Part science fair, part county fair, and part something entirely new”, whatever you might decide it is, Maker Faire is certainly a different type of edutaining, an all-ages gathering of tech enthusiasts, tinkerers, inventors, crafters, educators, engineers, electronic wizards, science clubs, hobbyists, authors, artists, students, and even an interesting collection of commercial exhibitors. All of these “makers” come together at a Maker Faire event to show-off their wares, whatever they may be and to possibly help you learn more by sharing what they have learned.

Maker Faire launched in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2006 as a tiny display of DIY enthusiasts demonstrating their ideas, inventions and creative projects. The interest and excitement of this genre, if you can even label it a “genre”, has done nothing but spiral into an incredible adventure where one can see and most importantly, experience, the entire Maker community first hand in all its glory. Last year at the San Mateo (San Francisco Bay Area) Maker Faire the crowds were spectacular and truly as gigantic as some of the displays at the Faire itself – over 120,000 attendees showed up over the weekend to take in this grand event – and most of those we spoke with said they would be returning without a doubt as long as the Maker Faire existed!

Wow! Can one believe the incredible growth of an event that offers such a wide array of experiences with a general ticket price ranging from $17.50 to $60.00? The popularity of the Maker Faire expanded greatly over a short time and soon took over the entire San Mateo Events Center within a few years. Now almost a decade into the sprawling event its legions of aspiring makers, educators, moms, dads, sons and daughters and many others come to participate in hands-on activities and learn new skills at the event. A record 195,000 people attended the two flagship Maker Faires in the Bay Area and New York in 2013, with 44% of attendees first timers at the Bay Area event, and 61% in New York. If you plan on going to the Faire here is some information to help you get there and around the San Mateo area. The Maker Faire is certainly family friendly – 50% attend the event with their children and many come from all parts of Northern California. Just last year alone there were 98 independently-produced Mini and Featured Maker Faires taking place around the world, including Tokyo, Rome, Santiago, and Oslo.

This years Maker Faire is expected to be the largest Maker Faire to date! Could it reach 150,000? Why is it so popular? Could it be that the event is primarily designed to be forward-looking showcase for Makers who are exploring new forms and new technologies. But the Faire is not just for those involved in technical fields; Maker Faire features innovation and experimentation across the spectrum of science, engineering, art, performance and craft.

The Maker Faire is an exciting and extremely entertaining event filled with an extremely diverse audience, and a fascinating, fun, curious mix of people who enjoy learning and who love sharing what they can do. It’s a venue for makers to show examples of their work and interact with an audience that can be just as eclectic as the makers themselves. All of this could be the result of the popularity explosion of this event, and as it continues to grow it will continue to present a tremendous opportunity for everyone who visits the Maker Faire; opportunities to learn, to grow, to walk away feeling real good about yourself, about your abilities to go out there and to do “something” regardless of what it might be. Some say it is an event that can easily become one’s obsession, as far fetched as that might be, it is an event that really does allow you to feel real good about yourself. Once you attend a Maker Faire one thing is certain, whether you become addicted to the eclectic fun and creative and inspirational atmosphere or not, you will come to appreciate the 950+ Makers displaying their projects and not only walk away learning something new, but truly, you will feel much better about yourself and that alone will urge you to return the following year for a whole different, but certainly just as positive, experience!

Maker Faire is brought to you by Maker Media.  Maker Media publishes MAKE magazine, produces Maker Faire, and offers DIY electronics, tools, kits, and books through its online and pop-up Maker Shed stores.

The Maker Faire Official App is available for iPhone and Android devices. You can download it here.
Event City is the new online Community for the Events & Creative Industries supporting the talent and projects within the Special Events, Hospitality, Music, Entertainment, Film and all Inventors and the full spectrum of the Arts. The Event City Creative Magazine is the online publication supporting Event City and the Event City Network. Event City launches in Q4 2014.

Here is a Maker Faire Sneak Peak for you:

Makerspace on Wheels: Building the Hackmobile

http://makezine.com/2014/05/06/makerspace-on-wheels-building-the-hackmobile/

The “Ultimate Maker Vehicle” is revealed at Maker Faire on Saturday, May 17^th, 2014

 

The Hypnotic Grooves of the Sand Noise Device

This is what you get when you combine a box of sand with a Microsoft Kinect, an overhead projector, and a series of illuminated pucks?

 

 

Test Your Skills at the Game of Drones Aerial Sports Competition

The Game of Drones is announcing the launch of our their official drone sports competition at the San Francisco Bay Area Maker Faire, on May 17 and 18 at the San Mateo Fairgrounds. Check it out, this is pure, unadulaterated, MAKER FUN!!

Game of Drones is excited to announce the launch of our official drone sports competition at Maker Faire Bay Area, taking place on May 17 and 18 at the San Mateo Fairgrounds. The Aerial Action Sports League (AASL) aims to be the premiere drone sports competition, showcasing pilot skills, engineering prowess, and technology innovation through aerial combat, flying obstacle courses, and other fun drone games.

More to come on the Event City Creative Magazine.

Ad Tech Visits San Francisco Next Week

Ad Tech, touted as the largest gathering of Digital Marketers in the world will be in San Francisco at the Moscone Center April 11-13, 2011 this year. Each year for the last couple of years Event City has covered Ad Tech from a general sense of the show. This year, as we launch we will look at Ad Tech through the eyes of you our loyal readers and members. Looking for advantages, opportunities and general information that could benefit you and your business endeavors.
We hope to find a great deal of business opportunities for you. Ad Tech takes place all over the world in these locations:

BEIJING, LONDON, NEW YORK, SAN FRANCISCO, SHANGHAI, SINGAPORE, SYDNEY and TOKYO

Some tidbits about Ad Tech:

Bringing together digital marketers and advertisers for more than 14 years and reaching buyers and sellers with 10 annual events across the globe.

Ad Tech’s exhibition hall affords participating vendors unparalleled opportunities to reach brand advertisers, agencies, publishers and key members of the trade media.

The exhibit hall itself features technologies and software and services employed in the world of digital marketing today, including:
Advertising Networks, Mobile, Ad Servers, Portals, Affiliates, Publishers, Creative Services, Research, Email Marketing, Search Engine Marketers, Rich Media, Search Engine Optimization, Media Planning and Buying, Software, Metrics/Analytics, Viral Marketing

One of the companies involved in this world is OpenX, the world’s leading independent provider of digital ad technology, enables businesses to maximize their revenue by combining ad serving technology with one of the top ad exchanges. Major publishers like Groupon, Excite Japan, and France Telecom/Orange have selected OpenX to power their advertising businesses. OpenX ad serving products are used by 200,000 websites in 100 countries and serve over 350 billion ads monthly. OpenX Market reaches over 400 million monthly unique users globally.

Look for more information on OpenX and other superior companies to help you move into the world of digital marketing.

By Nolan Apostle & Danny Hewlett
Contributing Editor/Producer
Photographer/Reporter
Event City Premier Magazine
Events & Creative Industry Blogazines

President Barack H. Obama History & Hope

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA

On Tuesday, January 20th, 2009 at 12:05pm EST Barack Obama became the 44th President of the United States of America and the 1st African American President ever! Catch the Event City coverage at our Event City Creative Magazine.

All of us at the Event City Network, Event City Emporium and the Internet Organization are looking forward to the new administration of President Obama.

We are so thrilled to be able to live to see the dream of Martin Luther King come to pass. To see the Millions on site who witnessed this historic event. To listen to his eloquent but tough speech to the country and to the world, and to realize how he and his Cabinet will be rolling up their sleeves as soon as first thing tomorrow morning to get to the job at hand – CHANGE.

We will be there right along side our new President to do whatever we can do to help with our dream for Hope and the challenge of Change.

Nolan Apostle, Contributing Editor
Event City Creative Magazine/Event City BlogaZine

Events, Travel and Good Ol’ Gasoline

It wasn’t just a little less than a year ago that gas was about half of what it is now (I personally have witnessed the $5.00 per gallon ++ sign on several gasoline stations – mostly Shell’s), and we were pretty upset about that. “How could gas get so high” we would ask ourselves. But now, wow, over $5.00 per gallon, are we INSANE OR WHAT??

How has this effected Events? How has this effected how people travel back and forth to events? How will this effect how we go on vacations this summer to visit Aunt May in the Midwest, or if we still will take our planned excursion to the Big Apple? How about those of you that plan events, will this hurt your bottomline? Will you plan events in an entirely different way from here on out?

No need to answer these questions. I just want to be clear on one thing; People will continue to plan events and travel, just not the same way they use to. Are the oil companies planning on this? HECK NO!

Search Marketing Expo – Google Party

Well I finally made it to the SMX show (Search Marketing Expo) at the Santa Clara Convention Center; what a ride coming from San Francisco on the heels of the MPINCC Annual Trade Show, it took almost 4 hours to drive to Santa Clara, WOW. This is a very technical show, featuring many companies who expense their knowledge and wisdom on the science of Marketing with Search Engine technology. It is a good trade-show, especially if you are looking to learn about the technical aspects of optimizing your search usage and results.

Today I received some mixed reports from the exhibitors about the quality of attendees. Some were happy with the attendance and said the potential business was good. Other exhibitors were dissatisfied with the turnout and did not acquire many leads. Unfortunately that is not a good sign considering tomorrow, the final day of the show is usually the slowest.

More on the show and featured companies tomorrow. Please click on my “enjoyable” report from the frontlines at the Google Party, at Search Marketing Expo 2008, Santa Clara, California.

Microsoft Makes Generous Offer to Buy Yahoo

 

Microsoft has made a very generous bid to buy the ailing Yahoo. AP wire reported that a $31 per share offer was made by Microsoft to purchase Yahoo Internet search engine. This is an enormous premium over what Yahoo’s stock closed yesterday.

Yahoo has seen their stock sinking over the last year and this could be some great news for them.

Yahoo CEO Jerry Yang (L) and Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates in this composite image are the figureheads for the two companies involved in this deal that has been rumored for over a year. Microsoft on Friday, February 1st (4am PST) said it had offered to acquire Yahoo in a proposed cash and stock deal valued at $44.6 billion.

More to come on this Super Tech deal!